BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team was picked to win its fifth-straight Southeastern Conference championship in a preseason poll by the league’s coaches released Tuesday.
The Tigers, which became the first team to win back-to-back SEC Tournament titles in 2002, led the way with five of the 11 championship votes, while Georgia finished in second overall with three. Alabama, Florida and South Carolina each earned a vote apiece.
In the Western Division, LSU tallied 58 points and eight of the 11 first-place votes. In the six-year history of the SEC, LSU has won every Western Division title. Alabama received 51 points in second place with two first-place votes. Auburn ranked third with 42 points and one first-place vote, followed by Mississippi State with 30 points, Arkansas with 27 points and Ole Miss with 17 points.
Georgia led the Eastern Division with 47 points and seven first-place votes. South Carolina ranked second with 38 points and received two first-place votes. Florida also received two first-place votes and finished with 35 points in third place. Tennessee and Kentucky completed the division with 26 and 14 points respectively.
Points for the poll were awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis for the Eastern Division and 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the Western Division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
The Tigers open the 2003 season on Feb. 7 at home against Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m. as part of the three-day Tiger Classic. The tournament also features 2002 NCAA Regional finalist DePaul and Baylor, which is led by former Tiger head coach Glenn Moore.